25 Days of CS Christmas
by notdonewithyou
Summary: A collection of connected Christmas one shots for Captain Swan and family. Day 3: Snuggling in front of the fire
1. decorations

**Are you guys ready for 25 Christmas-y prompts in 25 days? BECAUSE I AM! That's right! It's time for the 25 Days of OTP Christmas! I found this prompt list on someone's tumblr and was like YES! I'm so happy that I'm getting back into writing and this is going to be a blast! So, without further ado…**

 **Disclaimer:** Technically, if you look at the fine print, I own no one.

 **Day 1** : **Getting out/putting up decorations**

"I know they're up there somewhere," Emma paused for a moment, concern slightly screwing her face. "At least they should be." She wasn't sure how curses affected their belongings, so she hoped everything was where they had left it.

"Should be?" Killian asked, poking his head out of the attic door with an incredulous look on his face. "I've been looking for an hour and now you tell me should be?"

"We haven't used them since before the first curse was broken. Things tend to get a little too hectic to celebrate much," Emma said, shrugging her shoulders before he disappeared. It was still had for her to believe that they were finally free. No more curses. No more witches. No more darkness.

"And no one thought to label?"

Emma put her hands on her hips, though Killian couldn't see her. "We were all a little too busy falling through portals or fighting the monster of the week to think about it."

Truth be told, Emma hadn't been that involved in her first Christmas in Storybrooke. The town was still under the curse, and Emma had been living with Mary Margaret for less than two months. Mary Margaret, of course, was one of those over enthusiastic Christmas types. Garland hung all over the apartment. A tree with lights as bright as the sun sat in the corner of the living room. She had a stereo that was constantly playing her five favorite Christmas albums on a loop. There were even strings of lights on the outside of the door frame for the neighbors to see.

Emma had been too focused on Henry to really celebrate the holiday much. That didn't mean she had forgotten about it all together. It had been a long time since she had had anyone to celebrate _any_ holiday with. A decade before, in fact. She had managed to sneak away from the hustle and bustle of Operation Cobra and Christmas cookie making to get both Henry and Mary Margaret gifts. She had gotten Henry a leather-bound journal, thinking that since he liked stories so much, he might want to write his own. Mary Margaret had been harder to shop for, but Emma had eventually settled on a cookware set (something that had come in handy over the years).

"Love?" Killian asked, snapping Emma from her trance.

He was adorable poking his head out of the attic door again, and she couldn't stop the ghost of a smile that moved up her face. Emma was still getting used to the mundane activities and the domesticity with her pirate boyfriend. Boyfriend sounded like the wrong word, and but saying True Love all the time sounded just the same. There was really no word for what Killian was to her; their love was just too strong.

"How about we leave the light hunting to your father?" He asked as he climbed down the stairs.

"Then how will we decor—" He cut her off by adorably putting his finger to her lips.

"This isn't your house anymore, sweetheart," Killian said, tucking a stray blonde hair behind her ear. Her smile reflected his as they thought about the house they shared _together_. "So, how about we let your parents decorate their own home, and we go out and buy our own? I know those blasted things can't be hard to procure. I've seen about a million all over town."

Emma thought about how much they would be able to fix up the big house. The last time she had participated in decorating anything that dealt with a holiday, she had been with Ingrid. After her stint in prison, it had been hard to imagine her finding anyone to spend any holiday with. But she had a whole town to celebrate Christmas, New Years, all the way down to Earth Day with. And it wasn't so hard to imagine anymore.

Lights around the edges of the house and around the porch.

A Santa and reindeer set up in the front yard.

A Christmas tree by the fireplace in the living room, decked out completely.

Stockings with their names hanging on the wall.

She could see it all, and it warmed her heart.

"Well, get your coat on, pirate," Emma said, pressing a kiss to his lips. "It's a big house. We've got a lot of shopping to do."


	2. cards

**Thank you all so much for the love and support! I'm glad you guys liked the first, and there's so much more to come. I'm in such a Christmas-y mood, I could fly Santa's sleigh with sheer willpower.**

 **Disclaimer:** Yeah… No.

 **Day 2:** Making Christmas Cards

Killian tugged at the collar that was tight around his neck. Entirely too tight for his liking. He was used to light, breathable fabric that really only had buttons for show. Something so constricting was not in his every day wardrobe, even after he had gone over to the modern side of fashion. He failed to see why they needed to dress up in such ridiculous clothing, but Emma had been persistent, and frankly, quite persuasive. That was the only reason he agreed to wear the bloody thing.

That had been days before, and now, standing in the living room wearing a reindeer sweater, with bells of all things on it, he was starting to regret his decision to cave so quickly. He'd been wearing it for an hour and the jingling still caught him off guard every time he moved. To say he felt ridiculous would be an injustice. He was the fiercest pirate to roam the seas; he didn't wear animals on his clothing.

Emma straightened Henry's stocking over the fireplace next to where they were planning on standing. Killian still wasn't exactly sure what the whole deal was with the Christmas card they were making, as she had called it. All he knew was that they were going to memorialize that moment forever, and he wasn't sure he wanted to remember what he looked like with a deer on his chest. But then he spotted Emma smiling his way, and it made his resistance to the whole thing melt away.

The things her smile could do to him.

He chastised himself for even thinking anything negative about the whole experience. He had a _family_ to celebrate things with. That was something he hadn't been able to say for such a long time, and, honestly, didn't think he ever would be able again. But he was finally and truly happy with the woman he loved more than life itself and a boy he loved as if he were his own flesh and blood. If he had to wear a thousand funny sweaters to make them happy, he would gladly do it.

The music from the Christmas CD that had been playing since Thanksgiving night flowed through the first story of the house as Henry bolted down the stairs in his sweater. He donned a blue one with a family of snowmen having a snowball fight. Killian would have much rather been wearing that sweater, but Emma was adamant that he wear the reindeer one.

"I feel a bit like an animal you need to keep track of, Swan," Killian commented as he picked up his mug from the coffee table and took sip of cocoa. He stood up then, the bells ringing to drive his point home.

Emma couldn't help but chuckle as he came closer. "I thought it was a nice contrast to your usually serious personality," she said, flicking one of the bells with her finger, laughing again.

He could see her eyes light up and could tell how much she loved being able to just laugh. It was something they cherished now, not wanting to take moments that caused it for granted. It was their first Christmas together; it had been a lot of first holidays that year, and they made sure to take in all of it. Killian assumed that's why she was going all out for the holiday. Mary Margaret had told her she'd been a bit of a Grinch, whatever that meant, during their first Christmas together. And while he was still getting the hang of the holidays in the realm he now called home, he knew that they were important.

A smirk made its way up Killian's lips as he moved in closer, nudging his nose against hers. "You know damn well I can be _very_ playful," he said, teasingly raising an eyebrow.

"Killian, I'm right here," Henry said, feigning annoyance at their flirting. They all knew he was just happy to see his mom happy.

"Sorry, lad," he said, taking a step back, scratching behind his ear. "So what exactly are we doing, Swan?"

Emma smiled at him before she moved behind the camera she had set up on a tripod, making sure it was perfectly aligned how she wanted it. "We're going to take a picture, and then I'm going to print out a bunch of them surrounded by a Christmas theme and send them out to our family." She gave the camera one final nudge before being happy with the angle in the lens. "Hence the Christmas sweaters. It's a Christmas card. To let our family know how much we love them and are thinking about them."

"And I don't suppose you could just tell them in person, love?" Killian teased, leaning against the side of the fireplace. "Given that they live only about two clicks down the road."

"It's not the same, love," she teased back, trying to mimic his accent. When she heard a chuckle from Henry she turned to him and smiled. "Alright. Let's do this. Killian, you'll stand on one side of Henry, and I'll stand on the other." She started to press the button on the camera when she stopped, looking up at her boyfriend. "Now this is a timer setting, so when I click the button, it's about 10 seconds before the picture is taken, so no moving from the pose."

"Yes, m'lady." Killian bowed his head for effect, causing Emma to roll her eyes.

As soon as she thought they were ready, Emma pressed the button, dashing around the tripod to take her place next to Henry. They all gave their best smiles, wrapping their arms around each other tightly. Tight hugs were something they had taken to very quickly, not wanting to let go. For many reasons. It was just a few more seconds before the bulb flashed, blinding them temporarily.

Emma rushed over to the camera, frowning when she flipped to the picture. "Damn it. Both of you blinked. Stay there."

They retook the picture six times, and Killian fell in love with her a little more that night.


	3. snuggle

**Thank you all so much for the love and support! I'm glad you guys have liked them so far, and I know I'm so far behind but I'm gonna try to pump them out as much as I can. Like more than one a day before Christmas. And I don't care if I have to finish after Christmas, you're getting all 25 days worth!**

 **Disclaimer:** Yeah… No.

 **Day 3:** Snuggling in Front of the Fire

Killian closed the door behind him, snow blowing in despite his haste. He took off the scarf and coat Emma had made him wear, but with the chilly, Maine wind coming off the water, he was glad she had forced him. It was nice to have someone worry about his well-being. He blew into his lone hand, trying to warm up the skin, as he toed off his boots. He would have to ask Emma about purchasing some gloves the next time they ventured into town together. Though, that wouldn't be for a few days. They were officially snowed in.

"Stay safe, kid. We'll see you in a couple of days," he heard Emma say as he entered the living area. She hung up the phone as he sat next to her in front of the fireplace. "Henry says everything's good there. Regina has a backup generator if they need it."

"Well, I talked to Ariel and Eric. Their power is out, as well. Looks like it'll be a nice quiet night by the fire, Swan." The wind howled outside the house as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Or perhaps a couple of nights."

"How much snow is out there?" Emma asked, picking up her mug of cocoa she had made just before the power had shut off.

Killian rubbed his hand up and down her side. "It was past my ankles as I was walking, and it didn't look to be stopping anytime in the near future."

"Being stuck with you for a couple of days?" Emma asked, feigning unhappiness. "Sounds awful. I don't know how I'll cope."

"I'm sure we can find ways to occupy our time," he suggested with a raise of his brow.

Emma couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned into him, taking a sip of her cocoa. "Easy, tiger. We've got plenty of time for that." She pressed a kiss to his cheek before snuggling into his embrace. His body was warm against hers despite him having been out in the winter chill for a bit. He was a human furnace, and it was perfect for her; she got cold quite often. "We don't always get time to savor the quiet moments."

Killian nodded, kissing the top of her head. It wasn't often that they got quiet moments at all, let alone got to savor them. Even with no villains around, the holiday season meant spending time with their loved ones. They already spent a hefty amount of time with the Charming's, and it seemed to multiply tenfold around the middle of November. Killian never complained, though; it had been a long time since he had had a family to share anything with. He had more family now than he knew what to do with, and he wasn't about to take it for granted.

The night waned on, the fire crackling in front of them. They didn't feel the need to fill the silence with idle chatter. Being in each other's presence was enough for them, especially when they had been separated as often as they had. But it had been a solid six months of no impending doom, of no villains, and they were starting to think that it was finally time. Their happy ending could finally start with nothing in the way.

The clock on the wall struck eleven, and Killian looked down to see Emma asleep in his arms, her mug of hot chocolate emptied long ago. He couldn't help but smile as he ran his fingers through the ends of her hair, causing her to move closer to him. He knew with the power out, the only source of heat in the house was the fire, so sleeping on the couch would have to suffice for the night.

Slowly as to not wake her, Killian maneuvered them until he had her cradled in his arms and forced himself to stand. He walked her over to the couch, laying her out against the cushions. Brushing her hair out of her face, he kissed her forehead before pulling the blanket over her. He moved to the fireplace then, making sure to add enough wood to the pile so it would last them the night. He hoped the power would return by morning.

Once he was happy with the fire, he turned back and smiled at Emma. Her eyes were slightly open and she was smiling tiredly at him, holding her hand out. "I saved you a seat," she mumbled, scooting over for him to climb in with her.

"Back to sleep," he said as lifted the blanket and lay down on the couch beside her. She immediately buried her face in his chest, sighing at the warmth his body exuded. He grinned as he closed his eyes; the magic of the simple things still amazed him, and he hoped they never stopped.


End file.
